Ok.... so i have a 13 week old GSD pup, who i bought at 10 weeks, he was 14lbs at time of purchase and on Eukanuba Lamb&Rice for puppies. 4 days later he went to the vet and it turned out that he had an upper respiratory infection, for which they provided medication, he weighed 16 lbs at this 1st visit. The vet suggested science diet large breed puppy food (yes i waited the 7 days and did the % per day to switch him over). Next visit was 7 days later to see how he was recovering and how the meds were working, he weighed 20 lbs, and the vet said he was getting better and to just finish off the meds and see him in another 7 days. At the last visit he weighed 25 lbs and the vet cleared him and gave him his 2nd round of vaccines (1st round of vaccines where done prior to purchase at 8 weeks) so everything is great.

Heres where it gets a bit tricky, i took time off and let the puppy pretty much eat when he wanted while he was sick, so he basically nibbled throughout the day and i also used the kibble in his toys and for training. Granted i had the time off so i could monitor him to make certain he was eating enough. now i have less time, so i left him food but found that he won't eat unless i'm there or playing food games with him. i also loaded one of his Kong toys with peanut butter and always found that he would completely go nuts for the peanut butter but not want his own kibble.

So i got the bright idea on Saturday to mix in some peanut butter with his kibble and just not add it to his toy any longer, bam he cleaned his bowl faster than i'd ever seen... so I've been doing this now for the last 3 days. he eats with a passion constantly cleaning his bowl now that i add the peanut butter, and it's also alot less peanut butter than i was using in the toy. His stools have been partially wet but not more so than when i switched him from the euka to the science diet...so i'm expecting them to solidify soon???

Now the problem is he won't take but a few bite's of the kibble if i don't add the peanut butter....so is this ok? or am i screwing it up? i don't have the full day to spend with him like i did when i took the time off to house break him and nurse him back to health, but i need him to eat and continue to gain weight at a steady pace, and the peanut butter is working and showing no ill effects aside from him not wanting to eat without it....so what do the experts have to say about any of this??? I'm all ears!

Start him on good kibble, Science Diet is only good for the vet's ban account and Eukanuba is not a high quality either. Look for grainfree, higher meat content or study the raw diets.

Thanks for your reply.
Your response leads me to more questions though.
1.
If I switch him to yet another kibble shouldn't i wait a bit?, seeing as i just got him adjusted to the SD+PB?
2.
Does it matter how many different types of food I try?
3.
Will it have a negative impact on his stools/digestions from switching so soon/period?

I use about 4 different brands that I rotate along with raw a few times a week. have always switched my dogs "cold turkey" unless they had digestive problems than you mix the old with the new for a week. Why don't you add a 1/4 cup of a good quality canned food, mixed with some warm water to his kibble to get him to eat?
I would ditch the Eukanuba and SD as soon as possible. Stay away from every food you can get in the grocery store, foods that contain corn etc. There are good threads on this forum on nutrition.

I use about 4 different brands that I rotate along with raw a few times a week. have always switched my dogs "cold turkey" unless they had digestive problems than you mix the old with the new for a week. Why don't you add a 1/4 cup of a good quality canned food, mixed with some warm water to his kibble to get him to eat?
I would ditch the Eukanuba and SD as soon as possible. Stay away from every food you can get in the grocery store, foods that contain corn etc. There are good threads on this forum on nutrition.

Hmmm alright I'll do some intense research on some good dog food(s) for him, looks like his x-mas/4 month bday gifts are going to be food! lol

Thanks again.

Edit: On another note, I find it ironic that a vet's recommendation would be less than optimal food for my pup, but when i look at it from a salesman's standpoint i guess i can see why they'd recommend something that would leave holes, that of course they'd have to fill with supplements and such...guess they're into sales too...smdh.

Thanks for your reply.
Your response leads me to more questions though.
1.
If I switch him to yet another kibble shouldn't i wait a bit?, seeing as i just got him adjusted to the SD+PB? The sooner you do it, the sooner you get him off what really is a substandard food.
2.Does it matter how many different types of food I try? No. Does it matter how many you try? Try some good ones until you find one he likes, that he will eat enthusiastically and do well on.
3.
Will it have a negative impact on his stools/digestions from switching so soon/period?Not really. See #1 above.

And you may want to ditch the peanut butter. Peanut butter is full of fat and sugar, and should be used as an occasional treat only, and even then, it is advisable to feed the organic kind.

He is growing and now is the time to lay a good, strong foundation for the rest of his life.
Is is good to feed a toddler a sugary cereal because it "has all the nutrition" from vitamins sprayed on it, then adding peanut butter at every meal to get the child to eat it?
Chances are, if an animal is reluctant to eat something, it is for a good reason.

But if you follow the advice to get your puppy on a quality meat based kibble I would wager your puppy will begin eating with more enthusiasm.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with feeding your puppy via a kong. Many trainers and behaviorists recommend it actually. You can use a quality canned food as a binder for the kibble when you stuff the toys. Freezing them adds another level of difficulty for the puppy which is good for him. It's a good boredom buster too.

Edit: On another note, I find it ironic that a vet's recommendation would be less than optimal food for my pup, but when i look at it from a salesman's standpoint i guess i can see why they'd recommend something that would leave holes, that of course they'd have to fill with supplements and such...guess they're into sales too...smdh.

It IS ironic. Vets don't get very much training in nutrition, and the training they do get is largely sponsored by large pet food companies.

Also, the feeding instructions on the back of the bag of dog food are awfully generous, because they want you to feed as much as possible so that you'll buy as much as possible. If you follow the feeding guidelines on the bag you'll probably wind up with an overweight dog... which, again, rewards veterinarians because overweight dogs have more health problems that lean dogs.

I know it sounds terribly cynical, but I have heard so many vets pronounce overweight dogs as "healthy", that I sometimes think it's a conspiracy to get more money out of you over the life of the dog.

At the very least, I don't think having a large pet food company sponsoring studies and teaching vets is in the best interest of the animals, but it's certainly in the best interest of their bottom line.

Oh, and I don't think there's anything wrong with using peanut butter as a treat or a "condiment". Just use the natural kind with no added sugars or fats. Stay away from Skippy, Jif, or Peter Pan. Laura Scudder's is just peanuts and salt, and should be easy to find. If you go to the natural foods store you will have many natural peanut butter products to choose from.

I personally am addicted to freshly ground peanut butter. Our natural foods store has nut grinder, and you simply turn on the machine and grind the peanuts into a container. SOOO good, you'll never go back to peanut butter from a jar. But wait, we're supposed to be talking about dogs here....

I will second, third, fourth the recommendation to switch your puppy asap. SD is horrible food, and vets push it because it supplements their clinic (SD pays to have them sell it) and it causes so many problems in cats and dogs that you have to keep going back to the vet.

My first cat became diabetic from ... are you ready ... vet recommended SD ... I switched vets - found a holistic vet - and started making the cat's food. 2 months later the diabetes was reversed and he was healthier than he'd ever been.

I'm not a fan of kibble, and never will be ... but there are much higher quality kibbles out there than Eukanuba, SD and Iams ... if you're willing to take a huge leap, the best out there IMO is raw ... you can't go wrong with feeding a dog what it's biologically designed to eat ... raw meat / bone and organ.

A better grain-free food will make such a difference. We switched all our dogs to a good grain-free brand and their coats are better, they have more muscle and less fat, and they eat enthusiastically.

Oh, and as a side benefit, my sweet black mutt with severe flatulence issues does MUCH better on a grain-free food. Thank goodness! It had gotten so bad that when someone said "Phew!" at any smell she would get up and leave the room looking ashamed. Poor pup!

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